Micro-ear project
Issued: Fri, 29 Oct 2010 13:18:00 BST
Scientists have been using microscopes for hundreds of years to study worlds hidden to the naked eye, now they have developed a micro-ear to help them to eavesdrop too.
The micro-ear device, developed by scientists Prof Miles Padgett in the School of Physics & Astronomy and Prof Jon Cooper in the School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, uses a special array of focused laser beams to allow scientists to listen to tiny organisms such as bacteria.
The micro-ear device works by surrounding the organism to be studied in a ring of tiny glass beads, each trapped and held in place by laser beams.
The organism sits in a specially-etched dish to focus the movements of the fluid surrounding it. As the organism moves, displacing the liquid, the surrounding beads wobble and this motion is captured by a high-speed camera and converted into sound waves.
Professor Padgett said: 'Ultimately we hope an ability to listen to micro-organisms will help us understand how they interact and how drugs disrupt them: a bit like listening to the engine of a car to identify a fault.'
The micro-ear project is being funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and involves researchers at the University of Oxford and the National Institute of Medical Research.
Related pages
- Prof Miles Padgett
- Prof Jon Cooper
- College of Science and Engineering
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
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